I have so many good series to read that sometimes I forget what each one is about. I knew that I wanted to get back to this one because it was by Jay Allan, one of my very favorite authors. He has written a ton of military science fiction and this one is just as good, if not better, than the rest. I actually have Book 4, “Echoes of Glory” and Book 5, “Cauldron of Fire”, and some how I bought them before I bought book 3. But, now I’m caught up and have some additional great reading to do.
Now on with the review of this book. We’re back with Captain Tyler Barron, commanding the CFS Dauntless. His ship and crew have just slightly recovered from their ordeal behind enemy lines where they destroyed a massive Union floating supply depot with the help of the CFS Intrepid. While there was a lull in the fighting, the war was still going on and the Confederation was just waiting for what the Union might do next. Although the Confederation believed it would take a while for the Union to amass enough forces to make a concentrated attack, they still had to stay vigilant. But, several battleships had to get refitted or they were going to fall completely apart. The CFS Dauntless was one of those.
So, to the pleasant surprise of Captain Tyler Barron and his crew, they were ordered back to the shipyards on Dannith for extended repairs. Why there was something of a mystery since that particular shipyard was very far in the rear and near the “Badlands”, a sector of space where previous civilizations had existed until they destroyed each other. The Badlands was a strange and eerie place where worlds have died. Destruction was very evident all around the planets and the space in-between. These civilizations had reached a technology level far in advanced of the current humans, but it had led to their total annihilation. Very few artifacts existed in this strange place and it was forbidden for spacers to travel to this sector although that brought out the worst in humanity called scavengers. They chose to roam the Badlands scavenging bits and pieces of old tech that they sold on the blackmarket. Most of this old stuff was of no use and little more than junk. The tech was also so far advanced that most who got some didn’t know what it was or what to do with it.
Then the spaceship Pegasus found something far into the Badlands. It was a monumental fine that could change the balance of power in the galaxy. The only problem is they didn’t know how to get it back to Confederation space and even if they did, they knew the Confeds would confiscate their find and probably throw them in prison. Still, this massive find could not be ignored. Then the Union showed up using the same purchased information that Captain Andromeda Lafarge of the Pegasus had obtained. For once, Captain Lafarge put her loyalty to the Confederation ahead of her personal desires and knew that the Confederation had to get control of this massive artifact before the Union took it with them.
The only problem of the Confederation was that the Union chose this time to launch a new offensive. It couldn’t be determined initially if this was a decisive attack meant to go all out or if it was a bluff. The Confed Admiral felt that he needed every ship in the fleet available for the coming battle, but with the CFS Dauntless on it’s way to Dannith, he decided to send it into the Badlands to find out just what the Pegasus and it’s Captain had found. The odds are stacked against the Dauntless once again. It doesn’t look good for the Confederation at either the front or in the Badlands. A very exciting story unfolds. Fast paced action with lots of great reading.
I’m thinking about reading book four immediately, but I might not. I can guarantee that I will get back to this series very soon. It’s just that good. Well done Jay Allan!